Martinon studied in Lyons and Paris and his teachers included Roussel for composition, and Munch and Desormière for conducting. During World War 2 Martinon was held in a Nazi labour camp and during that time worked on some of his compositions. As a composer Martinon wrote a number of large-scale pieces including concertos for violin (No.2 was written for Szeryng) and cello (written for Pierre Fournier), and orchestral works. His Fourth Symphony was written for the 75th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1966 (he worked with the orchestra from 1963-69).

After the War Martinon was a key figure in rebuilding French musical life and he also started to work abroad. Some of his important engagements outside France included concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1947 and ten years later he made his North American debut with the Boston Symphony. Martinon’s repertory was broad-ranging as demonstrated in this collection which, while containing much 19th and early 20th century French music, includes works which, at the time of recording, were still “new” – such as Prokofiev Symphony No.7.

TRACKLISTING

CD 1
1-19 Adam: Giselle
20 J Strauss, arr.Désormiere: Le Beau Danubeº

CD 2
1 Hérold: Zampa - Overtureº
2-3 Boieldieu: La Calife de Bagdad · La Dame Blanche - Overturesº
4 Adam: Si j'étais roi - Overtureº
5-9 Offenbach: La Mariage aux Lanternes · La Belle Hélène · Barbe-Bleu
· La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein · Orphée aux enfers - Overturesº

CD 3
1-9 Dvorák: Slavonic Dances, op.46 nos.1-8; op.72 no.7
10 Weinberger: Schwanda the Bagpiper - Polka and Fugueº
11 Rossini: Guillaume Tell - Ballet musicº
12 Liszt: Totentanzº

CD 4
1-10 Lalo: Namouna - Ballet Suites 1 & 2º
11-18 Meyerbeer, arr.Lambert: Les Patineurs - Balletºº
19-25 Massenet: Le Cid - Ballet musicºº
CD 5: 1-8 Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 in B flat major · Symphony No.7 in C sharp minor

CD 6
1 Prokofiev: Russian Overture
2-6 Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnolª
7-14 Shostakovich: The Age of Gold - Ballet suiteª · Symphony No.1ª

CD 7
1-6 Ibert: Divertissement
7 Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre
8-12 Bizet: Jeux d'enfants - Petite suite
13 Saint-Saëns: Le Rouet d'Omphale
14-17 Berlioz: Le Carnaval romain · Le Corsaire · Benvenuto Cellini · Béatrice et Bénedict - Overtures

CD 8
1-4 Borodin: Symphony No.2ª
5 Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan - Marchª
6 Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust - Hungarian march
7-10 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 in B minor, "Pathétique"ªª

CD 9
1-3 Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor*º
4 Fauré Ballade for Piano & Orchestra, op.19**º
5-8 Françaix: Concertino for Piano & Orchestra**º
9-10 Mendelssohn: Capriccio brillantº · Rondo brillantº

Peter Katin piano
Moura Lympany piano*
Kathleen Long piano**
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestraº
Israel Philharmonic Orchestraºº
London Symphony Orchestraª
Wiener Philharmonikerªª
Jean Martinon